How To Organize Your Digital Estate In Three Steps

In the age of technology, the number of online accounts people own is increasing. These accounts, otherwise known as digital assets, affect your estate plan. Important documents, such as bank statements and bills, used to arrive in the mail. Now, most people receive these documents via password-protected email accounts. This impacts your estate when you die because it affects your personal representative’s ability to gather your assets and pay your debts. Additionally, other online assets, such as your social media accounts, will need to be deactivated or memorialized when you die. You can make the probate and end-of-life process easier on your personal representative and heirs by organizing your digital assets with these three steps.

1. Catalog Your Accounts and Assets

Cataloging your accounts and assets is the first step to organizing your digital estate. Odds are, you have online accounts ranging from iTunes to email to Facebook. Creating a list of all your accounts and assets will help you keep track of what you have. This will come in handy later on when your heirs or personal representative are memorializing or deactivating your accounts and sorting through your assets during the probate process.

2. Keep Track of Login Information

Keeping track of login information is the next step to organizing your digital estate. There are two ways to keep track of your login information:

1. The old fashioned use of pencil and paper.

2. Going digital.

Writing down your login information using pencil and paper is quick and easy. If you’re more tech savvy, an app or website is the better way to go. Apps, such as the ones discussed in this article, make it easy to store password information on your phone or tablet. Websites, such as KeePass, can also help you keep track of passwords.

Note: Safety precautions are necessary, but there are benefits.

Both routes for organizing your login information require safety precautions. If you use the old fashioned paper and pencil option to organize your digital estate, split up and store your usernames and passwords in two different locations. That way, no one can easily access or take all of your information. Or, keep your logins with a trusted individual or a secure location, such as a safe.

Going digital also requires safety precautions. Online accounts are hackable, so it’s important to make sure the site you use is reputable. Also, make sure you pass along your login information for the app or master key for the website you use to a trusted individual. Otherwise you’ll be back to square one and no one will know your login information or be able to easily access your accounts.

By organizing your login information, you can cut down on the time your personal representative or heirs spend gaining access to your online accounts and assets. This could help your estate get settled more quickly.

 3. Leave Instructions In Advance

The final step to organizing your digital estate is leaving instructions in advance. Similar to using your estate plan to leave burial instructions, you should leave instructions for your digital estate. By leaving instructions, you can dictate if you would or would not like your social media accounts deactivated or memorialized. You can give someone else permission to take over your blog or website, and you can ensure your heirs have access to any digital assets you own, such as cryptocurrency.

How Can Boyum Law Firm Help You?

Boyum Law Firm can help you and your loved ones with your estate planning, Medicaid planning and probate law needs. To contact Boyum Law Firm, click here.

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Starting a Business? Boyum Law Firm Can Help

You have the perfect business idea, but mountains of paperwork and confusing legal requirements are preventing your dream from becoming reality. Contacting Boyum Law Firm for help makes the process of setting up your business easier. Here’s why:

We have experience.

Boyum Law Firm has helped numerous clients create limited liability companies and/or corporations for their businesses.  Working with other clients has enabled us to strengthen our skill set, and everything we’ve learned through the years will be applied to help you and your business. Additionally, we’re well-seasoned veterans at filing the state and federal paperwork needed to turn your dream into reality. Filling out Nebraska Tax Applications and obtaining Employer Identification Numbers from the IRS becomes much easier the tenth time around, so we’ll have your business up and running in no time.

You have questions. We have answers.

Creating your own company leads to many questions, such as what type of entity is right for me? How do I name my business? Does Nebraska law require me to create a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation for my business? Boyum Law has the answers to all three questions and more. Additionally, we have questions of our own to ask you in order to ensure we lead you and your business down the right path. After all, there are benefits and drawbacks to creating an LLC vs. a corporation, so it’s important to make sure you choose the option that best fits your business needs.

We speak legalese.

Creating an LLC or corporation requires creating legal documents with language that can be a bit complicated. Luckily, our staff at Boyum Law is fluent in legalese. This means that we can explain how clauses within your operating agreement and other legal documents work to protect you and your company.

We’ll help you keep track of important documents.

Boyum Law creates a handmade binder for each client with an LLC and corporation. We’ll place all of your important paperwork in this binder so you can keep everything from your business minutes to by-laws all in one safe place.

Contact Boyum Law Firm

To contact Boyum Law Firm for help with setting up an LLC or corporation, click here.

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Transparency Is Key When Estate Planning: Here’s Why

Talking about death, end-of-life decisions, and money is uncomfortable but necessary when estate planning. It’s not enough to talk to an attorney in order to make a plan, either. Sharing information with your loved ones and the reasoning behind your decisions is also important. Here’s why:

Peace of Mind Matters

Your loved ones, especially adult children, worry about what will happen to you in the event of a medical emergency or incapacitation. Creating and sharing estate planning documents with them can provide peace of mind. If they know you’ve created a plan for worst-case scenario situations, they won’t be as worried about the unknown and unpredictable.

Family Warfare Happens

Most people have seen or read a horror story about inter-family conflict following the death of a loved one. You might think your loved ones could never fight like that. However, no matter how confident you are in your heirs’ ability to get along, it’s important to remember that grief changes things. Emotions are heightened during the stressful situation. Things that seemed minor, such as who inherits your coffee pot, might now feel major. Additionally, if you were the parent who served as your children’s referee during conflicts, they may argue without  being able to find a solution on their own.

By talking through inheritance decisions in advance, you can prevent family warfare. Having an open conversation with loved ones enables you to lay it all out on the table. You can provide insight on the reasoning you used to make inheritance decisions. This can help prevent hurt feelings and arguments later on. Family warfare happens, but transparency could help prevent it.

Decisions Aren’t Always Yours Alone

Estate planning documents, such as powers of attorney documents, include places for you to list another person in some capacity. For example, your last will and testament includes a space to list a legal guardian for your children. It’s ultimately up to you to decide who the best person is for a variety of jobs in your estate plan. However, just because you’d like a specific person to fulfill a certain role in your plan doesn’t mean that person is actually interested in the job.

It’s important to remember that estate planning roles require your selected individual to fulfill a variety of responsibilities. Just because you’d like to list your sister as the legal guardian of your children does not mean she wants that responsibility. For this reason, it’s important to talk to your first-choice person to make sure they’re up to the task before listing them in your documents. That way, no one is surprised with unexpected responsibility when you die. You also won’t have to redo your documents if you check to make sure the person wants the job before listing them.

How Can Boyum Law Firm help you?

Boyum Law can help you create estate planning documents that provide peace of mind. To contact Boyum Law, click here.

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What Is A Transfer-On-Death Title?

Estate planning provides a variety of options for passing assets on to heirs. Some people choose to utilize their last will and testament when leaving an inheritance. Others place assets in a living trust. There are benefits and drawbacks to using each document, but when it comes to passing down vehicles, the best document to create is a transfer-on-death title.

What is a transfer-on-death title?

A transfer-on-death title is a legal document. It uses beneficiary designations to pass the legal ownership of a vehicle from one person to another. Beneficiary designations pass an asset to a listed person, known as the beneficiary, when the original owner of the asset dies.

How do you create a transfer-on-death title?

The key to creating a transfer-on-death title is utilizing your vehicle’s certificate of title. Nebraska requires all vehicles driven on highways and roads to have a certificate of title unless otherwise specified. The owner of a vehicle obtains a certificate of title by filling out an Application for Certificate of Title after purchasing a vehicle. This document, which is available on the DMV’s website, serves as proof of ownership. The document includes a space for the vehicle’s owner to provide beneficiary designations. You can list up to two people as beneficiaries on the title. You also have the option to list a trust as a beneficiary.

What are the benefits of listing a beneficiary on the title?

Listing a beneficiary on a transfer-on-death title provides a variety of benefits. For example, listing a beneficiary on the title enables you to clearly dictate who you’d like to receive your vehicle when you die. This provides the benefit of making your last wishes well-known. It can also help prevent fighting among you heirs because it’s very difficult to argue over who should’ve received the vehicle when you die if there’s a beneficiary listed on the title.

Avoiding probate is the second benefit to creating a time-of-death title. The courts use probate to settle an individual’s estate when they die. Probate documents are public knowledge, so if privacy is a concern, you want to avoid the probate process, which beneficiary designations enable you to do.

For example:

John Doe owns a corvette. When he filed out his Application for Certificate of Title, he listed his grandson as the beneficiary. Two of John’s nephews were also interested in inheriting the vehicle, but it goes to his grandson because he was clearly listed on the title. John’s beneficiary designation helped avoid family warfare. His grandson and nephews cannot easily start a  legal fight over the vehicle since John has made the inheritance decision in advance.

How does the beneficiary claim the title?

When you die, your beneficiary can claim the title by filing paperwork at the DMV. They’ll need a copy of your death certificate to show proof of death, which can be obtained through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ website.  An Application for Certificate of Title is also required.

How can Boyum Law Firm help you?

To contact Boyum Law Firm for help with creating estate planning documents or with the probate process, click here.

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What Happens If You Die Without A Will In Nebraska?

As an estate planning law firm, Boyum Law strives to help others create documents that will provide peace of mind and clarity during life’s most difficult situations. Creating estate planning documents, such as a last will and testament, provides many benefits. These benefits include the ability to indicate in advance how you would like your assets distributed when you die. But what happens if you die without a last will and testament in Nebraska? How will your assets be distributed to heirs? The laws of intestate succession determine who gets what in Nebraska.

What is intestate succession?

Intestate succession is the process the court uses to pass on the assets of a deceased individual who died without a last will. Intestate succession laws exist in all 50 states. Without a will in place upon death, the state assumes how an individual would’ve divided up their assets. Not all of the deceased’s assets are subject to succession laws, though.

What assets are subject to succession?

A variety of factors affect which of the deceased’s assets are subject to the laws of succession. Assets that are subject to the law include items that would’ve needed to pass through probate even if the deceased had died with a will in place. This includes assets not listed in a trust, family heirlooms, and property. However, some items do not pass through intestate succession. Exclusions include:

• • Assets, such as retirement accounts, that name a beneficiary
  • Real estate held by a transfer-on death deed
  • Vehicles held by a transfer-on-death title
  • Property owned by a co-owner or in joint tenancy
  • Property listed in a living trust
  • Life insurance payouts

Examples of  assets subject to succession…

Joe Smith died without a last will. He left behind a variety of assets, including a truck held in a transfer-on-death title and some valuable art work. According to the laws of intestate succession, Joe’s truck is not subject to the probate process, so the laws of succession don’t affect it. It will pass down to his nephew, who he has listed on the transfer-on-death title. His art work, on the other hand, is subject to succession laws. The pieces are evaluated and cataloged with the estate’s other assets. Then, they’ll be distributed according to intestate succession.

What determines succession?

The living relatives of the deceased determine the succession of assets. Succession is different for everyone because it depends on a variety of factors, such as who survived the deceased. For example, Nebraska law says that a surviving spouse inherits all of the deceased’s assets if they are the deceased’s only surviving relative. However, if the deceased is also survived by a parent, the spouse receives the first $100,000 of the estate plus half of the remaining assets. The deceased’s parent receives the other remaining half. If the deceased is survived by their spouse plus children from a previous marriage, the spouse and children will split the estate’s assets in half. This Nolo article provides a more complete example of how intestate succession is effected by surviving parents, spouses, and children.

Examples of succession…

Jane Nelson died without a last will. Her husband and daughter are still alive. According to the laws of intestate succession, Jane’s husband inherits the first $100,000 of intestate property plus half of the remaining balance. Her daughter inherits the other half of the remaining balance.

How can Boyum Law Firm help you?

Boyum Law Firm can help you with creating documents in advance to avoid the process of intestate succession. To contact Boyum Law, click here.

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How To Choose A Personal Representative

A personal representative, otherwise known as an executor, is the person responsible for handling your estate when you die. Handling an estate includes a variety of responsibilities, such as gathering and protecting the assets of the deceased and filing paperwork with the court. While no special skills are required to be a personal representative, choosing someone who fits the following criteria can help ensure a smoother probate process. Read on to discover what questions you should consider when choosing a personal representative.

Are they responsible?

When choosing a representative, it’s best to choose someone you know is responsible. Personal representatives are responsible for many tasks related to settling the deceased’s estate. This includes cataloging assets, settling debts and bills the deceased owed, and distributing property to heirs. Since the job comes with many responsibilities, you don’t want to choose someone who struggles to get things done. You need someone who is capable of keeping up with the work load and who is able to complete tasks in a timely manner. This will help to ensure your estate passes through probate smoothly.

How is their health?

The health of your personal representative is another factor to consider. You want to name someone who is in good health for two reasons:

• You need your representative to be healthy enough to complete all the required tasks.
• Naming a personal representative is only effective if they outlive you.

As previously discussed, representatives are responsible for many tasks. You want to choose someone who has the time and energy needed to get it all done. Additionally, you want to choose a representative in good health because naming a representative is only helpful if you precede them in death. If your representative dies before you, they’re not going to be around to shepherd your estate through the probate process. If your representative dies first, you need to update your documents and name a new person.

Are they impartial and thick-skinned?

Impartiality is an important characteristic for a personal representative to have. You want to choose a representative who is capable and comfortable with handing your final wishes. They also need to know you well enough to step in and make decisions on your behalf if needed. Additionally, distributing assets to beneficiaries is one of the tasks representatives are responsible for. The task will be easier on your representative if you’ve done some estate planning. However, even if you planned out in advance how you would like your assets distributed, there’s no guarantee things will go smoothly. This could cause your representative to deal with backlash from angry heirs. For this reason, you want your representative to not only be impartial, but thick-skinned as well.

Do you know all your options?

When it comes to choosing a personal representative, you have many options. You can choose a close friend, co-worker, or family member. Additionally, you can name more than one person and have co-representatives. There are benefits and drawbacks to each choice, which is why you should contact an estate planning attorney for advice.

How Can Boyum Law Firm help you?

Boyum Law Firm can help you and your family create estate planning documents and choose a personal representative. As an estate planning, probate, and Medicaid planning law firm, we can also help loved ones through the probate process. To contact Boyum Law Firm, click here.

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Getting a Divorce? Time to Update Your Estate Plan

An estate planning attorney usually isn’t the kind of lawyer you think about contacting when getting a divorce. With other legal matters to settle, contacting your estate planner and updating your documents is the last thing on your mind. Estate plan updates should be at the top of your to-do list, however. Here’s why:

A marriage is still a marriage

You and your spouse might consider yourselves as good as divorced but the law doesn’t agree. In the eyes of the law, a marriage is still a marriage until the judge signs the divorce decree. The legal status of your marriage effects your estate plan because your spouse is usually listed in a variety of places in the plan. For example, people often choose to list their spouse as their powers of attorney. If your plan isn’t updated to include new powers of attorney, your soon to be ex-spouse will still be listed. This could become problematic in the event you become incapacitated.

For example…

John is forty-five years old. He and his wife, Jane, are getting divorced. It’s been messy, and the two fight constantly. John slipped on a patch of ice, hit his head, and is currently incapacitated. John never updated his durable and healthcare powers of attorney, which is Jane. Jane is now in charge of John’s finances and making John’s medical decisions even though she is no longer the best person for the job. John would’ve rather had his sister listed as his healthcare and durable powers of attorney but hasn’t gotten around to updating his estate plan. Consequently, his estate plan is less effective at lessening the impact of his injury because the documents weren’t updated accordingly.

Financial Consequences

Not updating your estate plan when getting divorced can also have financial consequences. Couples in Nebraska with estate plans have some financial protection against divorce thanks to the law. Nebraska law provides a provision that revokes provisions in a will that favor an ex-spouse. This provision also comes into play if a couple is in the process of getting divorced or has their marriage dissolved or annulled. The law doesn’t cover all assets and finances, however. Assets outside of a will, such as trusts and bank and retirement accounts, need to be updated when getting a divorce. Otherwise your assets won’t be distributed correctly when you die.

For Example…

Linda was sixty-five years old. She was in good health but unexpectedly had a heart attack and died. Linda and her ex-husband, Steve, divorced six months ago. The divorce provision protects the assets listed in Linda’s will. Some of her other assets are not protected, however. In the divorce, Linda won the right to one of the couple’s retirement accounts. Linda planned to list a family friend as the beneficiary but never got around to updating the document. The document still lists Steve as the beneficiary. Steve inherits the account even though it’s not what Linda wanted. If Linda had updated her account’s beneficiary information post-divorce, the asset would’ve been distributed accordingly.

Contact Boyum Law Firm

For help with creating or updating estate planning documents, contact Boyum Law Firm here.

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